Team New Jersey is bucking the tide at this year’s <a href="http://inhabitat.com/solar-decathlon/">Solar Decathlon</a> by shrugging off lightweight construction and relying on <a href="http://inhabitat.com/exploded-house-in-turkey-keeps-interior-cool-with-rainwater/">concrete</a> to realize a super efficient and robust home. The<a href="http://www.solarteamnewjersey.com/"> ENJOY house</a>, with the “NJ” for its home state, is the product of a collaborative effort between <a href="http://www.rutgers.edu/">Rutgers University</a> and the <a href="http://www.njit.edu/">New Jersey Institute of Technology</a>. <a href="http://inhabitat.com/team-new-jersey-unveils-durable-concrete-enjoy-house-for-the-2011-solar-decathlon/">The house</a> is the idealized version of a small family home on the Atlantic coast that connects effortlessly with its site, but protects from some of the worst the ocean can throw at it. The home also has a great modernist flair with an exposed concrete interior, pixelated window scheme, soaring reverse hip roof and, of course, lots of green technologies.

Turns out concrete is pretty savvy choice for the team who was looking for a high performance shell that was still very affordable— it's a potential deal breaker if teams exceed a $250k budget.

The team created the walls with Northeast Precast, a commercial supplier who sandwiches a foam core between two poured concrete slabs.

The trick to the building is installing all of the mechanical infrastructure as the walls are poured so the entire system can link together at the construction site.

The team used<a href="http://usa.autodesk.com/building-information-modeling/"> BIM or Building Information Modeling</a> software to <a href="http://inhabitat.com/building-information-modeling/">map out</a> all of the wall, roof, and floor components to make sure that everything precisely lined together before building the walls.

A major hurdle was to develop a connection system which could be reversed, a first for this type of wall.

While the concrete’s mass and 6 inch foam core is an a central element to providing consistent temperature a radiant under floor heating system supplied by a vacuum or<a href="http://greenterrafirma.com/evacuated_tube_collector.html"> evacuated tube solar system</a> provides extra BTUs.

The home relays on <a href="http://inhabitat.com/zoka-zolas-naturally-cooled-bamboo-hostel-will-be-greenest-building-in-hong-kong/">natural ventilation</a> to whisk the day’s heat away. Team member Zachary Hvizadak described entering the house on a hot day like "walking into a cave," noting that during the major heat wave this summer, the ENJOY house was a consistent 15 degrees cooler than outside without using any AC.

The roof top mounted 8.2 kw <a href="http://inhabitat.com/solar-power/">solar electric</a> array powers the systems which are centrally controlled.

The exposed concrete is to demonstrate the material but also leaves the space feeling a bit raw, and not exactly child friendly.

While 60 sq ft shy of the 1000 square foot limit the design's flared roof line make for a dramatic presence. The roof forms a valley in the center with hip sections jutting past the exterior wall to provide generous outdoor living spaces.

Interior finishes are sparse-- a simple stained concrete floor and white painted ceiling, cap the light filled space.

The tall walls with square windows penetrating throughout are wrapped with a ribbon of daylight windows giving the impression of the roof floating.

The tall windows provide for perfect interior <a href="http://inhabitat.com/daylighting/">natural lighting</a> further enhancing the feeling of a larger space than it really is.

Interior wall are also concrete with the living room anchored by a centerpiece with wrap around shelving inserted to house a TV and art works.

A view of the main living space from the home's front door.

...<br><br><a href=''>READ ARTICLE</a>